[Read this glossary entry on atharkhan.com](https://atharkhan.com/glossary/us-attorney/) **U.S. Attorney** is the chief federal prosecutor for a federal judicial district. A U.S. Attorney's office also represents the United States in civil litigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys handle individual matters for the office. A U.S. Attorney represents the federal government, rather than acting as a private lawyer for a spouse or parent. The office's role differs from that of a county district attorney or California's Attorney General. ## In California Family Law Divorce, custody and ordinary support enforcement generally proceed through state and local systems. A U.S. Attorney does not decide a family's divorce or modify a California support order. Federal criminal law can nevertheless apply to a particular act. For example, [18 U.S.C. section 228](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2024-title18/html/USCODE-2024-title18-partI-chap11A-sec228.htm) addresses specified willful failures to pay child support involving a child in another state, and travel intended to evade a qualifying support obligation. An unpaid balance alone does not establish that a federal crime occurred. The statutory requirements and the evidence matter. Other federal laws address [international parental kidnapping](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2024-title18/html/USCODE-2024-title18-partI-chap55-sec1204.htm) and certain [interstate domestic violence](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2024-title18/html/USCODE-2024-title18-partI-chap110A-sec2261.htm) or [protection-order offenses](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2024-title18/html/USCODE-2024-title18-partI-chap110A-sec2262.htm). Each statute has its own requirements and limits. A custody disagreement or protective-order violation does not automatically establish a federal crime. **Example:** A parent lives in Nevada while the child lives in California. The parent willfully leaves court-ordered child support unpaid for more than a year. Those facts may raise a federal enforcement question under section 228. They do not automatically produce a federal prosecution or change the underlying support order. The [Department of Justice's description of U.S. Attorneys' responsibilities](https://www.justice.gov/usao/mission) explains the office's federal criminal and civil role. ![[Files/OtherFiles/U.S. Attorney.jpg]]